Wendy Michel, also known as MoMa, has joined Boston Arts Academy Foundation as our new Senior Director of Marketing and Communications. Michel brings over 15 years of experience in B2B and B2C Marketing and Communications along with a strong background in non-profit arts programming.  

During her career, Michel has developed launch campaigns generating a 200% increase in sales, engagement and brand awareness for brands such as Beats by Dre, DOVE, Naturade, BET, and Def Jam Records. Michel’s Non-Profit experience spans from working alongside Gina Belafonte to launch the “Gatekeepers of Truth” campaign for Sankofa, a social justice Art Non-Profit founded by Harry Belafonte, to producing community engagement case studies for “UNI” - the Boston Ballet’s latest public art installation. 

“Given Wendy’s interdisciplinary background as an artist and entrepreneur, her work with leading non-profits, as well as her skillsets in Marketing, I believe Wendy is the perfect representation of artists, scholars, and global citizens we aim to support, said Denella Clark, President and CEO of Boston Arts Academy Foundation. “We are excited to have her help in leading our Marketing and Communications in order to fulfil our mission to bridge the gap between the Boston Arts Academy’s allocation from the Boston Public Schools, and the true cost of a high-quality education that is both arts-intensive and college preparatory.” 

As our Senior Director of Marketing and Communications, Wendy will oversee multi-faceted marketing, communications, and public relations programming, targeting supporters of the Foundation, private donors, companies and organizations, and corporate leaders. Her goal will be to promote the BAA Foundation brand, through fundraisers, enhancing volunteer leadership, and supporting BAA students and the Foundation’s mission. 

In 2014, Michel was accepted into Parsons School of Design studying Strategic Design & Management. During her time there, she was a STEAM educator and curriculum developer for the Obama Foundation. Following her studies Wendy decided to self-educate by traveling the world, Wendy’s ambitions led her to serve as a creative humanitarian and art curator in Germany, China and Hong Kong. During her travels Wendy worked with installation incubators such as MADE in Berlin to study the advancement of interdisciplinary arts across a variety of mediums. 

Michel’s love for the arts started at a young age while performing for her community in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti where she was born. Becoming a professional dancer at 15 years old, Michel performed at national competitions with Boston’s Phunk Phenomenon Dance Troop. Michel was appointed by Artists for Humanity Co-Founders Jason Talbot and Rob Gibbs (also known as ProBlak) to be a part of an intentional arts programming pilot with the City of Brockton where she was raised. Under the supervision of ProBlak, Wendy spent the rest of her youth working as a teen artist. As an honor graduate of the program, Michel decided to give back to the non-profit and became a mentor for the painting studio.  

“Joining the Boston Arts Academy Foundation is a full circle moment for me. Given the impact that AFH had on me as an after-school program, I could only imagine what it would’ve felt like to attend a school completely dedicated to the arts”, explained Michel. “My position as Senior Director of Marketing Communications for the Foundation allows me to bridge my work as a Marketing executive with my passions for STEAM education and arts activation. Nothing feels more gratifying than working for an organization that is in alignment with my personal values.”

When not working, Michel has a passion for teaching yoga, painting portraits, and developing research in Neuroscience and Health technology.

Email wmichel@baafdn.org to say hello and welcome her to the BAAF community.